Iran backs political solution to Syria: Larijani

Press TV -(Mon May 5, 2014) Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s support for finding a solution to the Syrian crisis through political means and negotiations.

“Political solution, the use of negotiations and dialogue together with determination of the country’s (Syria’s) destiny by its own people have always been supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Larijani said in a meeting with visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Tehran on Monday.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.
According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
Iran has repeatedly voiced its opposition to any foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs, calling for inclusive dialogue and national reconciliation as well as free elections as the keys to the settlement of the crisis in the Arab country.
Larijani also pointed to Iran-Armenia good neighborliness and amicable relations, and called for closer cooperation between the two countries.
He further stated that the exchange of views between Iranian and Armenian political figures at international organizations in order to pursue common interests on regional and international levels will certainly deepen Tehran-Yerevan friendship.
Nalbandian, for his part, stated that the Armenian government and parliament support exchange of high-profile political delegations between Iran and Armenia.
He said that Yerevan backs the negotiations between Iran and six world powers — the US, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany — over Tehran’s nuclear energy program, and hopes that the talks would yield a final comprehensive settlement to the decade-old dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities.